Ideas to get you further...in life, and at work

Generally speaking, there are THREE main ways information comes in, meetings are managed, and projects are discussed.

We all use all three, and, using them more only makes things easier, better and bigger. By understanding more about HOW people work, it is easier to encourage them to do what they do effectively, productively and efficiently.

Every person can facilitate workflow and workplace performance by understanding the three ways in which everyone works. When you study the “form” and “function” of these learning styles, you will be able to use them to your advantage, and your work, your team, your department, and even your company (!) will benefit. Since beginning to study education, performance and leadership in 1993, I have found much success in modeling the way people learn in the way that I coach and teach.

We ALL use ALL three learning/working styles, and by identifying the ones that make it EASIER for you to engage, you will get more done, faster. The more I learn about this (my first teacher was Howard Gardner, out of Harvard), the more I recognize the absolute significance of changing it up, approaching it from different angles, of making it easier to consume.

What is the “it” that I’m talking about? I'm talkin' about getting the right things done…

When we work to our strengths, we can run further toward and closer to an expanding comfort zone of increased awareness and productivity. This was proven to me as I continue watching the www.TED.com talks; recognizing over and over again that the people who ARE changing things for the better are the ones who have two significant strengths:

1. An ability to see, hear or/and experience what’s going on…

2. …with the ability to think deeply about how it could possibly be a little different.

So, those working/learning styles:

a. Kinesthetic b. Auditory c. Visual

I GOTTA GET IT: I knew I was a kinesthetic learner as soon as I started to understand this aptitude. When I do something, when I build a model, if I “role play” some situation, it goes in in a way that stays. When I was learning triathlon, it wasn’t enough to read about the sport, or simply watch the training videos. I had to practice – over and over again – the same moves that I would make during the race.

Likewise, when I decided to “become” a writer, I set myself up with gear, tools, and systems to get engaged. For example, often – when I’m assigned an article from a magazine editor – I will purchase a new notebook, and even a couple of pens. There is SOMEthing about holding something new that gets me thinking in new and bigger and different ways.

OH, I HEAR YOU: Think about what happens when you’re on the phone with someone, or in a meeting, and they tell you something you think you should remember later on. If you have strong auditory skills, you’ll hear something once and it will go in and stay. On the other hand, if you know that just listening to something isn’t enough to remember it later on, you may be a bit weaker in that “skill.” Personally, I know that I’m not extremely strong in the auditory set.

For example, it doesn’t matter HOW many times I listen to a song, I just won’t learn/remember all the words. However, if I listen to the song, press pause a bunch of times, and write the words, I will get it, know them, and be able to sing along. Imagine now I’m attending a meeting: I don’t rely on remembering what someone said. I’m the guy who will take a picture of the flip chart (visual) or re-write the notes (kinesthetic) in my notebook.

I SEE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT: Ok, and finally, the visual strength. People who I work with and around who are strong here are the ones that “see it before it’s able to be seen.” In a meeting, when they understand something, they will often say something like, “Ohhhh, I see what you’re talking about.”

Alternatively, if you’re talking with a visual worker/learner on the phone and they don’t know what you’re discussing they will say something like, “I’m sorry. I just can’t picture it in my mind. I need you to show me what you mean.” Over the years, I have used an understanding of these three learning styles to my advantage.

I have written books that have folding pages , I have recorded audio presentations and I have posted many of my presentations - all so clients have multiple ways of engaging in this work. When you think about what you need to get done during the week, remember to engage in three different ways. You’ll stay focused, and the people around you will find it easier to continue working toward completion if you mix up the messaging to address their different learning styles and needs.

Is a goal you have set for the next 6-18 months clear? Do you know where you are heading, ready to turn left when it's time? Here are some ideas to make goals that are multi dimensional, and that ultimately draw you toward them. 1. Hear it: Get someone to partner with you, and meet up with them once a week or so for the next 5 weeks. During that #CoffeeChat or lunchtime, share your process of working toward one of your goals. A great peer (or coach, or mentor) is the kind of person who will listen and ask "well-played" questions that get you to think a little bigger.

2. See it: Surely you've got a to do list that you update with some regularity. I'm also positive that "some"where you're keeping up with a calendar, so that you can organize your meetings, travel and events. So, it may seem intuitive to write down your upcoming projects.

I just "updated" mine, and made two lists:

Projects - next 6-18 monthsProjects - 18-months from now

Simply writing down, for example, that I'm going to race in the Wildflower Triathlon in May 2013 was quite interesting exercise. So, it's your turn...I'll challenge you to write a list of at least 50 things. We both know you can do it.

Want to up level this one? Find a picture that actually SHOWS the thing you're marching toward. Ever since we got the final version of the book cov, I have printed it and:

+ taped it to my journal+ put it on the fridge at home+ carried a small copy of it in wallet+ and more. (+ oh, another thing I did: made it the desktop picture on my computer)

See it...it makes it easier to see it come true.

3. "Get" it: When write something down, when you cut out a picture of that goal you're moving toward you engage another "working style." so far, I wrote about auditory and visual styles, now...Kinesthetic.

For the purpose of goal setting, a great kinesthetic activity is to sit down, close your eyes and for just a few moments imagine you're there.

Lately, I have been doing this as I set new goals, and work toward them, of ways to sell 50,000 copies of the next book: Your Best Just Got Better.

See it. Hear it. Feel it. Move through it. Actually sense what you might sense when you're there...then (and this is key, for me) take a few moments to write down what happened while you were there.

Generally, when do this, I come back to the present and realize that there are some tasks I can add to my to do list for the next week that will move me further along the process of achieving my goal(s).

Q1. Do you move your "next actions" from your journal to another digital list?

Q2. What's the benefit you have in separating "ideas" and "next actions"?

Q3. What do you think about using different journals, for business and personal (family, finance...)?

These are GREAT questions. Of course, I'm halfway tempted to ask YOU, the reader, to share YOUR ideas about these prompts. Please do leave any ideas you have in the comments, or via twitter ( @jasonwomack ) and I'll respond there as well!

Ok, so Answer 1: One glance at www.outlookdashboard.com or www.lotusnotesdashboard.com and you'll see some options. Of course, it's going to depend on your own workload. For some people completion is the name of the game, and each day they are coming up with, and finishing, their daily tasks.

For me, I keep my own "overall" list management system "in the cloud," this way I can keep it current, access it from anywhere, and trust that I've got all my options ready. About every 48 hours I'll go through my "back pages" of the journal (see Video #1 here) and add anything that needs to go into my online/distributed list management system. (Of course, that synchronizes to my iPad, iPod, BlackBerry and Desktop computer...)

Answer #2: My job is to connect new dots, to see things before other people do, and to synthesize and contextualize what the next 36-60 months of work will be like. It's SO easy for me to come up with more "to-dos," tasks of things that need to be done as soon as possible, and that's why I must have a place where I "force" myself to simply think. Someone who mentors me through thoughts and words (and, we did a great YouTube interview together some time ago) is the author Dan Pink. We share an interest in what drives people to want to do, be and have their best.

One of the things we talked about in that interview we did was the relative importance of setting pen to paper as a way to deepen the thinking, and get lost in thought. And, finally, don't take my word for it. Try it for a week or so...keep a piece of paper off to the side, and anytime you think of something to DO, write it down there. Don't interrupt yourself to go and DO that thing, write it down, and look at it later (within the hour or the day or so...).

Answer #3: I have a short answer to this one...and, it's more of a prompt:How many places do you want to have to review, when you want to see what you thought? And, "what if" you have a thought about work, while you're thinking about your family...?

I keep one journal at a time, I get about 2 months' use out of it, and I do go back through them quarterly and annually.

Ok, you're turn! What else can I say, what else can I show, what else can I share?

You see, no matter how you look at it, how old you are, whether you're a glass-half-empty or other-side-of-the fence thinker, time is marching on.

Ok, so for this episode of "The First of the Month - September, 2011" I want to share a question, an idea and a joke...

1. Question: "What practices have you perfected?"

2. Idea: Spend some time, starting today and continuing over the next 5-7 days, to completely identify those habits and routines that you HAVE practiced to perfection. Now, of course, chunk it down by starting here:

Create an ongoing list, make an inventory of the activities that take your

time

energy

focus

between "0" and about 10am every day. (Yes, consider making a "back of the page" inventory for the weekend as well.)

So, the alarm goes off (or, you wake up naturally with sunlight splashing on your face) and you find yourself doing...what?

Since it's the first of the month, and 8 months have gone by (or, you've got 4 months to go...or, you're that old...), consider looking at and discarding any "practices" that you no longer need to repeat. Replace them with new experiments that will give you equal or greater return on time/energy/focus invested.

Can I share an example? I used to search the internet "regularly" each morning, for any news of the clients I support worldwide. One afternoon, a friend of mine introduced me to GoogleAlerts. Well, that time I used to spend searching one client at a time? It's gone to scanning just a few emails each morning...

3. A Joke: Ok, if you're still reading this, you're looking for a joke. But, if you know me, you know that I'm really not THAT good at jokes...so, here's my request. Leave one (keep it clean and family-friendly, please!) in the comments section below!